Chapter 12
Gelberus, with the combined might of me and my human friends, was pretty much a pushover, even in spite of some of the icy glaciers melting slightly from his attacks, but not to the point that we'd have an avalanche. And when Gelberus finally took enough damage, he returned back to his normal form and looked near-death as I approached him with a frown and the sword in my hand.
"Master Krux... will see that you pay... you're not like him..." Gelberus said to me, which made me smile.
"Quite right, Gelberus. Because while I'm a full-blooded Krawl, Krux is half Krawl and half human," I said to him, Gelberus gasping as I then plunged the sword through his skull, Gelberus gasping before his body shriveled up into a giant pile of detritus, which was unusual considering the other Krawl we faced just turned into dust.
"That was badass, Maja," Rallen smiled at me. I smirked at that compliment as I then touched Gelberus's body and we all three gasped audibly when something happened upon me touching it. I actually felt some of his power enter my body before he disintegrated the whole way.
"Whoa... d-did I just... absorb his power?" I gasped as I felt my right arm become much warmer and I saw that it had fire coating it. It was just a good thing that the Prizmod was unharmed despite that.
"Hmm... may need to move you to my left arm," I smiled as I grabbed the Prizmod and removed it from my right arm before latching it onto my left one, me noting that the ruins above us had opened their doors after Gelberus's defeat. "Now let's get in there and save the second shard. If Gelberus was here, he's sure to have come here to get the shard by Krux's orders," I said with seriousness.
"Agreed, let's hurry," Jeena said as we rushed into the opened door to the ruins and we emerged into a large and impressive room that had quite the decor. It was all a hint of blue and one of the murals showed a picture of a gigantic Spectrobe that looked like a dragon surrounded by the 5 different elemental types of the Kaio system. "This mural looks important... you think that giant Spectrobe is the Beast King?" Jeena asked.
"Possible, and I think the types must mean something. We'll keep it a note to have one of each type of Spectrobe in our parties at any given time, okay?" Rallen smiled.
"Right," I smiled as we then proceeded down an elevator and into a room that we had to work to get through. How so? We needed to step on different switches, carry different totems to their corresponding pedestals that matched their colors, and we even had to make sure that the bridges were raised after going through so that the door above us would be able to be opened up. And once we accomplished all of that, we went down a second elevator and into a room that had a large arena in it, me wondering if we'd have Krawl to fight. And sure enough, once we got into the arena, the doors closed up on us and a bunch of different Krawl appeared to attack, them being of the Water property, so I brought out a Spectrobe that I knew was of the Sky property, that being Mossax. When it came out, I smiled at how Mossax immediately went to work at firing air gusts at the enemies from a distance while Rallen and Jeena handled the smaller Spectrobes with their Sky types. Once all of them were eliminated, the doors then opened up, including the one above us.
"You guys want to go to the door now to save some time?" I asked them.
"Sure, I don't mind cheating," Jeena chuckled as she wrapped her hands around me and I flew us up to the area that led to the next part, me then returning and doing the same for Rallen. He tried to wrap his hands around my waist, but I smiled and had him wrap them around my chest instead, Rallen blushing at that and Jeena giggling at that when I landed by her.
"You're getting a bit frisky, aren't you, Maja?" Rallen smiled.
"Well... I may have forgotten a lot, but I know the ins and outs of what boys like in girls. Just wanted to give you a small treat," I smiled at him.
"Well... uh... maybe wait until we're back on the cruiser and not on a job?" Rallen smirked with a blush.
"Alright, fair enough," I winked at him as we then proceeded down the next elevator and we saw that we were in a large area, much like with the ruins on Doldogo. And there was a gigantic 3-headed Krawl waiting for us with heads that represented the trinity of properties in Nanairo according to Rallen's Prizmod! Green for Aurora, blue for Flash, and red for Corona!
"Let's do this. Iku-Ze!" Rallen smiled as we sent out our weapons and Spectrobes again, me choosing Mesathorn for the fight as he was the strongest physical attacker. Rallen had chosen Rydrake and Jeena had chosen Ketobasu. I started the fight by rushing in and hacking away at an icy part of the beast's chest and saw that it contained a weak spot similar to that of the giant Krawl on Wyterra. I then slashed at the weak spot while Mesathorn skewered it a few times with a few slashes of his impressive claws. Rallen and Jeena were doing their attacking as well, focusing on the giant feet instead. The giant Krawl tried to crush me with its giant feet in the process, but I smiled as I activated some kind of power within my flaming hand and shot it directly upwards and through the giant Krawl's entire body! It disintegrated soon after and I smiled at how, upon defeating the Krawl, the shard's chamber had revealed itself from some ice blocking the doorway.
"Alright, here's the second shard. It took a bit of work, but we finally got it," Jeena smiled.
"Yeah, but the fact that Krux sent a High Krawl to get the shard is troubling. He's going to destroy Wyterra and we know that he's targeting these shards because the Beast King is the only one capable of stopping his plans. Let's get the shard and return back to Kamtoga's camp," Rallen said.
"Agreed," I said while snubbing my nose, us getting into the chamber and getting the shard in the process, it entering Rallen's Cosmolink upon him touching it.
"This one also had an intense glow. Not a good sign... wait, what's this?" Jeena asked as she noticed a strange white circle on the ground.
"I don't know... maybe we can find out by touching it?" I asked as I grabbed the other two and I had all of us enter the circle at the same time, me gasping at how our surroundings suddenly changed to that of the icy path that led to the crevasse!
"Whoa! It teleported us back near the Base Camp!" Rallen gawked.
"Yeah, that was definitely an experience," Jeena smirked as she shivered a bit, most likely from either the cold or from surprise.
"Let's go meet up with Kamtoga and see if he has any intel on other planets," I smiled, us heading back to the camp and back to Kamtoga's hut, him smiling at us happily when we came in.
"I see you've returned. Did you find the shard?" Kamtoga questioned.
"Yep, we did. And we're planning on heading back to Wyterra to inform Radeese... but we still need to know where the other shards are located on each planet," I said.
"If you want to know that, I suggest finding a guy named Neal. He's one of the toughest explorers you'll ever meet and he's currently exploring Menehat, the largest planet in this Solar System. Here is his communications codes and from me, a special gift. You know those special fossils that can glow brightly? Well, this one also has that honor. And it can allow the users of the Cosmolink to see a memory," Kamtoga smiled as he handed Rallen a fossil that had a look of a seed. I touched it as well with my Prizmod hand and gasped as I too saw the vision.
This vision started out with a strikingly similar cruiser to Rallen and Jeena's crashing outside of old Krux's cave and Kamtoga and him were arguing about going in there.
"No one could've survived, don't do it!" Kamtoga said.
"No, I need to make sure!" Krux said, him rushing into the burning ship and Kamtoga hissing as the fire spewed some more.
"Rgh... And I thought I was reckless!" Kamtoga said, me smirking at that as Krux went into the machine and I gasped as I saw that he was rescuing a young Commander Grant!
"It's going to blow! Don't be a hero, now go!" Grant said, his voice much younger sounding as well.
"Sorry, can't do that," Krux said as Kamtoga soon appeared.
"Okay, I'm going to lift this, once we do we gotta book it. How are you at the 50 yard dash?" Kamtoga smiled.
"I knew you'd come to help, Kamtoga!" Krux smiled.
"Someone had to make sure you didn't screw up... HRRRGGRAAH!" Kamtoga grunted as he lifted the debris off of Grant and Krux helped him off of the ground, the machine producing more fire as the trio then escaped, a large explosion happening after all of them were clear of the blast.
"Haha, that's a hell of a fender-bender, bud. I wouldn't want to see the repair bill on that one," Kamtoga smiled.
"Hope its a rental," Krux smiled as all of them started to laugh at that.
"You guys are nuts... hahaha," Grant laughed along with them as the vision then ended and we all three looked at Kamtoga with a smile.
"So it wasn't just any old bestie... it was Commander Grant that you were talking about! I thought this was his old badge we found at that cave," Rallen smiled as he held Grant's badge in his hands again.
"Wait. Commander Grant? Hahaha! You work under that old codger, ey? Now I see where you get your stubborn streak, kid," Kamtoga laughed that one off.
"Yeah, I thought his picture looked familiar, but he wasn't wearing any of the gear to be an NPP soldier, so it was hard to imagine this guy as Grant," Jeena smiled as she looked at the picture as well.
"Well, if you happen to see old Grant, tell him his best buddy Kamtoga says he's doing well and kicking ass like I was in my 30's," Kamtoga laughed.
"You got it," I smiled at Kamtoga as he gave us the Spectrobe fossil as well as the communication coordinates for Neal. We then proceeded on our way back to the ship and Jeena got the idea to call up NPP again.
"Jeena? Is that you?" Harry asked.
"Yep, it's us again. We're on Kogoeria. Got anything on it?" Jeena smiled.
"Kogoeria... nope, that's a new one. You guys don't make things easy, do you?" Harry smiled.
"Cut us some slack, Harry. Besides, we have to tell you something. We met one of Commander Grant's old companions out here. Do you know if he's nearby?" I smiled.
"W-Well..." Harry said, him obviously concerned.
"Well, what? Is he there or isn't he?" Rallen asked.
"Actually, I was hoping you guys might know. No one's seen him since he disappeared... and... well, an uncertified cruiser left just a bit after you disappeared..." Harry said.
"Do you think it may have been Grant?" Jeena asked.
"I don't really want to say it, but truthfully I think it was him. Besides, not a lot of this makes sense. First he sends you out to that sector where he knew a portal was, then Maja invades your ship and loses almost all her memories, and now Commander Grant is missing... not only that, but there aren't even that many Krawl coming into Nanairo right now... how about you guys?" Harry asked.
"Peh, not only have we been running into Krawl nonstop since we arrived here, but one of these planets, Wyterra, is facing some terrible tragedy soon. We don't know what, but with all of these Krawl and the fact we had to take out Gelberus an hour before we got on here again, we're going to say that Krux is planning something bad," Rallen said.
"He sent the other High Krawl to that system? The Kaio System, right? That's what you called it?" Harry asked.
"Yes. And as it turns out, this is where Krux started life as... and on Wyterra. So it's only natural that he'd want to try and destroy this place," Jeena said, me sighing as I tried to think of some kind of way to get Krux nice again. But then I felt some kind of voice in my head, it actually causing me pain from it.
"Maja..." I heard a dark, echoed voice say to me.
"Rgh... who... are you?" I groaned as I wondered whose voice that was.
"I've been looking for you... what is your status?" the voice asked, Rallen and Jeena looking at me with concern as I felt uncomfortable, Harry cutting the connection either way.
"Who are you?... What status?" I asked back.
"You know who I am. I created you," the voice said, me gasping at that and gritting my teeth.
"Krux... where are you?" I asked politely, not growling so as not to make him raise suspicion.
"I will only tell you if you tell me your status," Krux said.
"Most of my memories are gone... when I traveled through the portal, I forgot a lot of things. Apologies, but I don't know what my original duties were supposed to be," I said to him with full honesty.
"Hmm... you are speaking truthfully... your new duties are to go to Kogoeria and meet up with Gelberus. He hasn't contacted back for awhile," Krux said.
"I apologize, but Gelberus... I already found him. He breathes breath no more," I said, Krux seething at that before regaining his composure.
"Very well. You may do as you please for now, but I shall be debating what you should do in the meantime," Krux said.
"Of course, Master," I said, me sighing as I finally felt his presence leave from my mind. Once I was sure it was gone, Rallen and Jeena were still staring at me and I simply blushed at that. "Krux just contacted me in my mind... he's fooled into thinking I'm still on his side. Let's keep it that way as we get this shard over to Wyterra, okay, hon?" I smiled at Rallen, which made him smile back at me.
"Of course, Maja," Rallen smirked back.